DAMASCUS, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Syria's government freed at least 126 minors being held in a northern prison on Saturday, state media reported, after taking over the facility from Kurdish forces as part of an agreement. Footage on state television showed crowds gathered to welcome the released minors, while Syria's official SANA news agency published the names of the remaining detainees, allowing people to look for them online. State television reported "the release... of 126 detainees under the age of 18 from Al-Aqtan prison" in Raqa province, which has been used to hold Islamic State group detainees. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kurdish fighters were transferred from the prison on Friday to the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobane, in Aleppo province on the northern border with Turkey.
